Product Description

Michael Collins (1890-1922) is often thought of as Ireland's lost leader: a man born into a revolutionary environment who became a skilled statesman and military leader and who met an untimely and violent death. Michael Foy's new book looks in depth at Collins's key role in the still fiercely divisive Anglo-Irish War that came in the aftermath of the 1916 Easter Rising. It describes Collins' rise to prominence within Irish republicanism after the Easter Rising and, as de facto leader of the IRA and GHQ Director of Intelligence, how he was largely instrumental in bringing about the Anglo-Irish War of 1919 to 1921. It also contains a detailed account of how, for the first time in Irish revolutionary history, Collins seized the intelligence initiative from the British. The intelligence war is set firmly within the context of a city at war and Dublin's conditions at the time are vividly recaptured. The book uses an extensive range of primary sources - including written statements by participants, contemporary documents and photographs from both the Bureau of Military History, Dublin and the National Archives in London - to explore the role and personality of this fascinating man.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #309529 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-16
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

About the Author
Michael Foy is head of history at The Methodist College Belfast and co-author with Brian Barton of The Easter Rising (Sutton, 1999), described by Professor Roy Foster as 'the best survey of the 1916 Rising'.

Customer Reviews

An excellent addition
The role of Michael Collins in Irish history is pivotal and his creation and control of an effective revolutionary intelligence tool is in my opinion, the intriguing aspect of his career.
The "intelligence war" between Collins and the British between 1919 and 1921 is the stuff of legend, and this book brings its characters to life. The author particularly demonstrates the role of the men who worked for Collins in various ways and who consistently demonstrated loyalty to him. It also shows how Collins was willing to use their talents to suit his agenda and his ruthless methods. Despite (or because of) this, his supporters maintained their personal loyalty and their accounts show this.
In a war headlined by the atrocities committed by the Auxiliaries and the Black & Tans as well as by the republicans, Foy maintains a reasonable balance which is always difficult with such an emotive subject, forever polarised by propaganda and subsequent Irish events.
There is a welcome use of primary sources in what is a serious and intellectual book but those familiar with the author's previous work will know that he has an engaging style that makes the book very readable for the general reader. It certainly is a book that any serious reader or researcher of Irish history will have on the shelf.

Mike McCarthy
Editor, 'The Battle Guide'
Guild of Battlefield Guides